This invention relates generally to devices for holding fabric to be embroidered by machine and more particularly to devices for holding at least a pair of embroidery hoops to enable the material in one hoop to be embroidered while the material in the other hoop is loaded or unloaded.
Various embroidery or sewing machines have been disclosed in the patent literature and many are commercial avialable for effecting simultaneous sewing or embroidery of fabric or material held within respective work holders, such as embroidery hoops, located under respective sewing or embroidery heads of the machine. Examples of patents disclosing multi-head embroidery or sewing machines are the following: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,091,727 (Bohmann et al.), 3,595,188 (Schmedding et al.), 3,664,288 (Von Boden et al.), 4,357,885 (Stockton), 4,386,572 (Slomma), and 4,444,133 (Bolldorf et al.).
One typical commercially available multi-head embroidery machine is sold by Tokai Industrial Sewing Machine Co., Ltd., of Japan, under the designation Tajima, Model No. TMEF-612. That machine basically comprises twelve embroidery heads which are located in a side-by-side array. Each head includes several needles for sewing various different threads through a desired patch or fabric. Each patch or fabric is held in a respective embrodiery hoop disposed under a respective head of the machine. Each hoop is in turn held within a respective work holder, commonly referred to as a template.
While the above arrangement is suitable for its intended purposes it leaves much to be desired from the standpoint of efficiency of operation. In this regard when all of the patches which had been simultaneously embroidered are completed the multihead machine had to be stopped, all of the templates moved out from under the respective embroidery heads, the hoops containing the completed patches removed from the templates, new hoops including patches to be embroidered inserted into the templates and placed on the machine's platform so that the hoops are located under the working heads, and then the machine restarted. Obviously, this operation is wasteful of substantial time, thus reducing the output of the machine.
Some devices have been disclosed for effecting movement of the workpiece to be sewn or embroidered to the head of a sewing or embrodering machine. Examples of such patents are as follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,208,414 (Reeber et al.), 4,208,975 (Teetz), and 4,433,632 (Becka et al.).
Notwithstanding the above, a need still exists for a simple device for enabling the embroidery (or sewing) of material by a working head of an embroidery (or sewing) machine while at the same time another piece of material is loaded or unloaded.